He knew he needed to get Gabriel. Even though the old man claimed that they weren't going back, that didn't mean they were going to go back to the world.
It was also quite possible that by the time they returned to this place, the Crews would already be waiting to take them home. It was possible that they weren't going to be allowed back here.
If he still tried to come back after everything was over, the scrutiny on him was going to be over the top. Especially since this is the time when he killed Mander.
"Get inside the ship!" The old man commanded. All the participants started entering the ship… All except one.
Instead of flying inside the ship, Lucifer started flying back to the world.
"I forgot my lucky charm in my room. I'll be right back! Hold the ship for me!" He informed the old man, not even waiting to hear his response.
By the time the old man could even respond, it was already too long. Lucifer was gone. Moreover, to make sure that the old man or anyone else couldn't follow him, he used multiple long-distance teleportations to make them lose his trail. It was a gamble, but it was a gamble he needed to take for his future.
It was possible that the ship was going to leave without him, but he had faith. They couldn't leave without him. He was also a finalist. It was supposed to be a small wait as well.
The old man let out a sigh. He didn't find it too suspicious. There were many people who believed in lucky charms. Even though he felt that it was stupid to believe in such things, he let them be. If Lucifer believed in something like this, he let that happen.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIn the meantime, he took care of other things. Before the ship could leave, there were many things to do. There were many preparations to be made, especially taking the youngsters inside. He believed that Lucifer should be back by the time they were done.
Since Lucifer could also fly on his own, he didn't send any Moderator behind him.
Lucifer reached the strange world. He looked up to make sure that no one was following him before flying straight to the frozen mountain.
Even as he reached the mountain, he didn't go to the entrance of the place where Gabriel was staying. He just flew in the distance. Instead of going through the door, he chose to teleport inside to not leave any trail behind.
Lucifer appeared inside the small room, which looked completely identical to before. The only difference was that it was slightly warm. Gabriel was still sitting in the meditation.
Only after he sensed another presence in the room, he opened his eyes.
"Is it time to leave?" he asked. "Your competition is over? I'll imagine you won?"
"It's not over. There's still a final stage, and I'm to take part in it."
"Then what are you doing here instead?"
"I came here to take you. The final stage of the trial won't be held in this world. It's time for me to leave this world, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to return. I'll need you with me."
"And how will you take me?" Gabriel stood up, seemingly curious.
"Through my shadow realm," Lucifer answered. "You can hide there. However, it'll be a dark place. There won't be anything there but darkness. And the strength you possess, it won't be easy for me to hold you there for long."
"You'll need to sit completely still in the nothingness. Even the slightest movement can affect my shadow realm, letting you out. And that won't be good."
Lucifer told Gabriel everything about his shadow realm and how he was going to hide Gabriel. He also warned him about what to do and what not to do.
Surprise, it wasn't as hard as he expected, to convince Gabriel to stay in the shadow realm without moving.
Even though it was somewhat akin to living like a prisoner, but still he agreed, which saved some time for Lucifer.
Lucifer sent Gabriel into his shadow realm and stayed in the room for a few minutes, making sure that his shadow was actually stable and not breaking apart.
Fortunately, that seemed to be their case so far.
Lucifer teleported outside once again and flew back to the space. The ship was still waiting for them at the place; however, only the old man was still outside the ship. Everyone else was already inside and seated.
"Got your lucky charm?" The old man asked.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I did," Lucifer brought a small feather out of his pocket, flashing before the old man.
"Good. We're already late. Get inside now!" The old man personally took Lucifer inside the ship. The doors of the shop closed.
"May I ask what it is that we'll be doing? Why do we need to go to another world for finals?"
Since Lucifer was now alone with the old man, he attempted to ask him, even though he knew that the chance of getting an answer to the question was almost non-existent.
Even though he didn't know why they were going to another world, he did know what the final Trial couldn't be. He was sure that the final Trial wasn't about fighting each other. If it was the case, then they could just conduct it where they were. They didn't need to change the world at all.
"We're going to test your conviction. In the Star Alliance, not everything is rainbow and sunshine. We don't just protect; we destroy as well. And that's what your final test will be. As a Captain of the Star Alliance, there might be a need to destroy a world or two if there is ever an uprising."
"That's what you'll all be doing now. There is a world... A world that is creating trouble for the Star Alliance. If the Star Alliance wants, they can just send an entire fleet to destroy the world. However, we have decided to give this opportunity to you all. This will be your final test! Killing everyone on the planet that dared to stand before the Star Alliance in defiance!"
The old man clapped his hand. The hologram of a world appeared before Lucifer, also showing some images from that world.
As soon as Lucifer saw the images from the world, he was taken aback.
"That's the world?"
"You know that world?" The old man asked in surprise. "How? Isn't it too far from the earth where you come from? How can you know this world?"
"It's... The World of Summons. I've been there before..."
He couldn't believe that their mission was to destroy the beast world of summons...